The series finale of "Breaking Bad" didn't fade to black, nor did anyone wake up from a dream and reverse the whole thing. Instead, genius creator Vince Gilligan met and likely surpassed expectations. Justice was meted out to those who deserved it, including Walter White (Bryan Cranston). And thanks to Walt's own ingenius final plan, he got what he was striving for when he first started making meth with Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul): Skyler (Anna Gunn) and their kids will have enough money to live well.

Bonus wins: Jesse is a free man; Marie Schrader (Betsy Brandt) gets to recover the body of her husband, Hank (Dean Norris); and Walt gets to die with his baby blue, the meth lab that he and Jesse created.

And after years of telling himself that everything he did was for his family, he finally came clean. His meth-making madness had been all about his ego.

"I did it for me," he admitted to Skyler and, one presumes, himself. "I liked it. I was good at it, and I was, really--I was alive."

I'm not going to suggest that Walt was redeemed in my eyes tonight, but that admission went a long way in making me believe he still had a little piece of his humanity left. It was the emotional high point of the whole series for me. I'll never forget his loving caress of Holly and his longing look at Walt Jr. (RJ Mitte). Cranston has never been better.

I'm not going to forget Walt's master plan, either. After making arrangements that Walt Jr. would receive a trust worth more than $9 million, Walt met with Lydia (Laura Fraser) and Todd (Jesse Plemons) to A. poison her with ricin, and B. get Todd to buy into his fake scheme to help the white supremacists continue making meth.

Then, the oddly serene final episode, "Felina," suddenly exploded in violence. In a hail of bullets, Walt avenged the death of Hank, the theft of his money and the imprisonment of Jesse. It was genius plan.

Jesse got satisfaction, too, with his brutal choking of Todd and his denying Walt's request to be killed. Jesse's unbridled joy and his daydream about being a carpenter give me hope that Jesse, who always seemed like the bad boy who got in too deep, might be OK in the future.

No guessing about Walt's demise. He died, but seemingly happy in the meth lab knowing that his family has a future. Gilligan chose Badfinger's "Baby Blue" to accompany that finale scene, and it was appropriate: "Guess I got what I deserve."

You can read all the lyrics below. That's all I've got to say for now, because I'm going to go back and watch it again. What did you think of the finale?

Baby Blue by BadfingerGuess I got what I deserveKept you waiting there, too long my loveAll that time, without a wordDidn't know you'd think, that I'd forget, or I'd regret

The special love I have for youMy baby blue

All the days became so longDid you really think I'd do you wrongDixie, when I let you goThought you'd realize, I would know, I would show

The special love I have for youMy baby blue

What can I do, what can I say?Except that I want you by my sideHow can I show you? Show me a wayDon't you know, the times I tried

Guess that's all I have to sayExcept the feeling just gets stronger everydayJust one thing, before I goTake good care, baby let me know, let it show